Just Call Me Daddy
by AwesomeBlonde89
Summary: A plane fell out of the sky and crashed in a meadow near the 141 base. The only survivor: a 2 year old boy. When rescued, the heroic soldier would no longer be known as Ghost, or Simon. Now he is 'Daddy'.
1. Chapter 1

_On an airplane heading back to the United States from Great Britain, there was a mother and father trying, unsuccessfully, to entertain their two year old son Ashton. The plane had only been in the air for fifteen minutes when he began throwing another fit._

_The first time he ever threw a fit, believe it or not, was when they took him on his very first flight to Great Britain. Ashton cried and screamed, kicked and punched the air with his tiny fists, and tried biting his father. Of course the parents were freaking out because they didn't know what was wrong. Ashton couldn't speak yet so the fit was a way of telling them that he didn't like planes._

_The parents figured that out once they landed. When they exited the plane Ashton stopped crying and seemed to be his normal, calm baby self. They sighed in relief when they found out what was making Ashton act out in such ways, but soon dreaded the flight back home to Little Rock, Arkansas._

_Now they were, once again, sitting on a plane trying to deal with their child throwing the same exact fit._

"_I don't know what to do!" the mother exclaimed while putting her head in her hands. "He won't be quiet!"_

_The father began rummaging through the bag that had Ashton's toys and pulled out every toy his hand touched. "Do you want to play with your stuffed dinosaur?" he asked holding up the fluffy green T-Rex. _

_Ashton smacked the dinosaur out of his fathers hands._

"_Okay, guess not. Well how about," the father began desperately searching again. "How about your race car?" he asked holding up a four inch red plastic race car with black stripes._

_Ashton stopped crying and took the race car out of his hands. Instead of playing with the car, he put it in his mouth, chewed on it for a couple seconds, and then chucked it at his fathers face._

"_That's it! I can't do this anymore!" announced the father as he mimicked the mother and put his head in his hands._

_The mother took Ashton from the father and sat him on her lap. "Come on Ashton, there has to be something that will calm you down." _

_He continued crying and screaming, until the mother had an idea. She reached into the bag that had all of his toys and found a snow globe that had the sun in the center and when you shook the globe, stars and planets would float around it._

_She shook the globe and sighed when Ashton took it and stared at it, no longer crying. Ashton shook the globe again once the planets and stars fell to the bottom. _

_After a few minutes of playing with the globe Ashton fell asleep, still holding it in his tiny hands._

_Another half an hour passed and the plane began shaking violently. The mother sat up from her slouched position grasping Ashton to make sure he wouldn't fall over. She looked over to the father. "Terrible turbulence today," she said quietly when the shaking settled down. The father agreed and attempted to fall asleep._

_A few minutes later the plane began shaking again, but this time it didn't settle down. There was a sudden shift in direction which caused everyone to fly forwards in their seats. The mother tightened her grip around Ashton and glanced outside the window._

_Her heart dropped to her knees. The plane was losing altitude, flying head first to the earth. A red light began flashing uncontrollably and a siren could barely be heard over the sound of air beating against the planes wings._

_Knowing what was coming next, the mother said a silent prayer. "Lord please protect my baby. Take me if you must, just let my baby be okay."_

_The father had already awaken and was aware of the situation. He pulled his wife and son into his arms and that is how they stayed._

_As they waited for fate to take over the mother quietly sang the ending lyrics of a song that came to her mind, directing it towards Ashton._

_**When destiny call you, you must be strong**_

_**I may not be with you but you've got to hold on**_

_**They'll see in time, I know**_

_**We'll show them together **_

_**'Cause you'll be in my heart**_

_**Yes, you'll be in my heart**_

_**From this day on,**_

_**Now and forever more**_

_**Oh, you'll be in my heart**_

_**No matter what they say**_

_**You'll be in my heart, always**_

_**ALWAYS**_

_Tears leaked down both the mothers and the fathers faces and landed in Ashtons blonde hair. He was still asleep and they didn't dare wake him. If they were all at deaths' door, they didn't want Ashton to feel any pain, even if it were quick._

_One more mile_

_Ashton was positioned in between his mother and father. Both of them holding him close._

_Six hundred meters_

_More tears._

_Ten feet_

_Silence._

**I feel like really depressed now :(**

**I actually just had a dream like this a few days ago and it was one of the scariest, and saddest dreams I have ever had. That's were I got the inspiration to write this story.**

**Something interesting will be happening in the upcoming chapters and I'm pretty sure y'all can guess what it is. *Looks at story title***

**Would you like me to tell you something that will make you want to read more of this story when I post the other chapters up?**

**Little Ashton lives! **

**Oh, and before I forget: The song lyrics used in this story are from You'll Be In My Heart which is sung by Phil Collins. So, obviously, I don't own the song and/or it's lyrics.**


	2. Chapter 2

"New personal record Roach. Twenty six seconds, nice job mate," Ghost congratulated the young soldier after he completed the training course once again.

Roach grinned. "I'm awesome."

Ghost shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Your not nearly as awesome as me and my 18 seconds. Don't think you're at the head of the pack just yet bug."

Roach laughed. "Just wait Ghost, one day I'll beat your 18 seconds."

"Maybe, but you'll have to wait until pigs fly and birds moo instead of tweet."

Roach thought about that for a moment. "Am I suppose to feel offended by that statement?"

Ghost shrugged. "Not for me to decide. I have to go turn these papers into MacTavish. See ya Roach," he said and walked away from the thinking Roach.

As Ghost was walking across the base to MacTavish's office, he couldn't help but to notice what a beautiful day it was.

The sun was shining and there were only a few clouds that floated freely near the sun, but didn't dare to block the light. A nice, cool, refreshing breeze flowed through the base causing everyone to be in a good mood and to top it all off, it was only 75 degrees outside.

Ghost inhaled slowly taking in the coolness and serenity of the beautiful day. When he reached the main base building he was getting ready to open the door, but when his gloved hand came in contact with the door handle an airplane flew overhead. Well, not necessarily flew but more or less began to rapidly descend from the sky.

Ghosts hand dropped a little as he watched the plane continue to descend and soon disappear behind a mountain of trees.

"What the bloody-" he was cut off by a loud crash and a medium sized mushroom cloud formed behind the trees. He sprinted inside to MacTavishs' office.

"Tavish I need the keys to the military truck!" Ghost said quickly.

MacTavish was staring outside the office window watching the cloud rise. "Ghost something just-" he began but stopped when the masked man went over and snatched the keys from his desk.

"What are you-" MacTavish tried again but Ghost ran from the office and out to the truck.

He hopped in, shoved the key into the ignition, and stomped on the gas pedal. The truck jerked forward and swerved, the tires screeching loudly.

Ghost drove off and away from the base, heading in the direction where the mushroom cloud was now beginning to vanish.

He watched the cloud intensely while driving around and cutting in front of anyone that got in his way, which caused him to receive a few unfriendly fingers.

Ghost took a sharp left turn onto an old dirt road and followed it for about a mile, leading him to a meadow.

He stopped the truck and jumped out. Looking around, he was horrified by the scene.

The airplane he had saw minutes ago was now sprawled out across the meadow.

Half of the plane sat in the center of the meadow being consumed by flames, the other half was now scrap pieces of metal and they were scattered around.

_What am I doing here? Surely there couldn't be any survivors._ He thought to himself.

He turned on his heals and was getting ready to go back to the base to report what had happened, when he heard something rather odd.

It was a noise that was crossed between a baby crying and hysterical toddler screams.

Ghost turned back around and didn't waste any time following the noise. The cry led him to the half of the plane that was on fire.

Luckily there was a hole in the side of it, so he quickly crawled in and attempted to look around. It was difficult to see from all the smoke, but he found the source of the cries.

There was a blonde headed toddler laying on the plane floor trying to crawl away from the smoke.

Ghost gently picked the kid up and looked around for other survivors, but there was no one there to check on.

He crawled back through the hole and took in large breaths of air. He then looked down at the kid he was holding, now that he could see more clearly Ghost saw that the young boy was bleeding from his stomach.

"Oh no," he said aloud and sprinted back to the truck. He found a few paper towels and held them against the boys stomach.

He got back into the truck and while supporting the bleeding child with one arm, he began driving back to the 141 base. During the drive the little boy cried, but had stopped screaming. Ghost did the first thing that came to his mind. He smoothed out the boys blonde hair and whispered comforting words.

"Your gonna be alright buddy. Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you. I'm not going to hurt you. The pain will go away. Your going to be alright."

Once they got back to the base, Ghost jumped out of the truck, holding the boy close to his chest.

"MACTAVISH! TOAD!" he shouted praying the two men had heard him. "ANYONE, I NEED HELP!"

Instantly MacTavish came running out of the office building. "Ghost! What's wrong?" he asked and then saw the small child. "Come on. Follow me," he said quickly and both men began running.

They ran to Toads tent and he immediately took the child from Ghosts arms. But before Toad could hurry away, Ghost took a hold of his wrist. "He's going to be alright isn't he?"

Toad looked down at the small bleeding body. "Ghost I don't know."

"Promise me he'll live."

"Ghost, I can't make any promises. I will do everything in my power to try to keep him alive."

Ghost wanted a promise, but knew that was as close of a promise that he was going to get. He released Toad's wrist. "Please try."

Toad nodded and quickly ran to the medical tent.

**I have to cut it here today! Sorry, I wish I could go on but I am really tired and ****have to go to sleep :( I'm losing sleep as I type this, so it probably seems quite choppy. Sorry 'bout that! ** **Thank you to the reviewers that have reviewed this story so far!**


	3. Chapter 3

Ghost was pacing all around MacTavishs small office, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Ghost you really should sit down. Pacing isn't going to do much," MacTavish said while watching Ghost from his desk.

The masked man stopped and looked at the captain. "I have not seen the kid in over six hours. How do I know he's not dying at this very moment?"

MacTavish sighed. "Ghost you know just as well as I do that if the lad had...passed on Toad would have come and told us."

Ghost took this into consideration and after a moment nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess you are right. But MacTavish how do you know for sure that he'll be alright?"

"Aye, you seriously need to stop worrying mate,"said MacTavish with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Toad is a trained military medic. The kid will be fine."

"Okay, but-"

"If he can stop a bullet-pierced artery from causing a man to bleed to death, then he is capable of saving a young kid with a stomach wound."

"I guess, but-"

"He is a really good medic."

"Well, sure but-"

"Ghost I could sit here all day and give you a list of one hundred reasons why the kid will be fine. But I won't because I have to finish some paperwork. If you still need reassuring then I suggest talking to Archer."

Ghost looked down at his shoes. "Sorry I've been such a bother sir. Thank you for talking to me."

He turned around and headed towards the door. "Um, 'Tavish?" Ghost stopped halfway through the doorway.

The captain looked up from his desk.

"What are we going to do with the kid when he gets better?"

MacTavish raised an eyebrow and was soon deep in thought. After a few minutes of silence he decided on an answer. "We will have to call the nearest orphanage and tell them to expect an addition."

"Oh," Ghost said quietly as his heart dropped in his chest. He walked out of the office and a bombardment of questions circled in his head.

_Why do I care so much for the little boy I saved today. Why do I feel so close to him? Why did I get that sad feeling when MacTavish said the kid would go to an orphanage? Shouldn't I be happy that he would have a family? I wonder what his name is._

Without knowing it, Ghost had walked over to Archers tent.

_Guess I need more reassuring._

"Come on in," Archer said from inside.

_How did he know I was here?_ Ghost shrugged and walked into the tent.

Archer was laying on his cot with a book held up to his face. "Hey Ghost. How are you?" he asked not moving the book.

"I'm not doing so well. How did you know I was outside the tent?"

"I've been a sniper for many years mate. You really learn a lot," he replied and sat up, putting the book down. "I'm sensing some confusion. It's about what happened today is it not?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, what's bothering you?"

"I've been worrying about the kid ever since Toad took him."

Archer nods his head. "That's understandable. You were the one that rescued him from the crashed plane and noticed he was wounded. It's natural that you are worried mostly because you are still in a state of shock from what happened. Is there something else on your mind?"

"Actually yes there is," Ghost said hoping Archer had a solution. "I feel like I'm...close to the kid. But that's not possible because I've never met him, heck I don't even know his name! And when MacTavish said we would have to put him in an orphanage I..." Ghost was at a loss for words.

"Believe it or not Ghost, you are feeling that way because you have bonded with him. It's not the normal bond you are probably thinking about, but it's the fact that you knew what words to say to show him that he was not alone in such a traumatizing situation. He may not have understood you, but you taking care of him was the comfort he needed.

Archer stood up and put a hand on Ghost's shoulder. "You have saved a life Ghost. And something is telling me the bond between you two is about to get stronger." Archer smiled. "Go visit the kid. He's _alive_ and Toad is looking for you."

Ghost smiled behind the mask and sprinted out of the tent and across the base to the medical tent. As he entered the tent he ran into Toad.

"There you are Ghost!" Toad exclaimed. "I have been looking for you."

"Sorry Toad I was talking with Archer," Ghost said impatiently. "So is he okay?"

Toad nodded. "He had a three inch long gash on his lower right abdomen. There was also a good thirty five to fifty small shards of metal embedded in the wound. I removed them all and stitched up the cut without any problems."

Ghost sighed with relief. "Can I see him?"

" He is the last cot on the left," Toad motioned with his thumb. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I have to go check on Roach."

"What did that muppet do this time?"

"He sprained his thumb. Don't ask how. I'll see ya in a few," Toad then left the tent.

Ghost walked down the aisle of medical cots and stood at he foot of the last cot. Staring down at the small blonde human, he watched as his chest rose and fell, a slight sound of snoring filling his ears.

Ghost grinned at the funny noise and sat next to the small figure. He slowly outstretched a hand and began to gently stroke the kids tumbleweed of blonde hair that was covering his eyes.

The kid stirred at the masked mans touch and he slowly opened his sky blue eyes.

When the kid saw Ghosts' mask he covered his eyes with his little hands and occasionally peaked through a couple of fingers.

_Why is he hiding from me? Is he scared of me?_

"You don't need to be scared of me, I'm not going to hurt you." Ghost tried to get the kid to lower his hands from his face, but after five minutes of failure he gave up.

Toad then returned to the tent and walked back to Ghost. "He's not scared of you Ghost, he is scared of your mask."

_My mask?_

"Oh, um, hey look," he said to the kid while taking off the mask. "It's just a mask. There is no need to be scared of me."

The kid lowered his hands from his face and looked at Ghost. They both stared at each other for a few minutes until Toad held something in front of Ghost.

"What's this?"

"It's a necklace that was matted down in the kids hair. Oh, and I think his name is Ashton," replied Toad while he pointed to a name scrawled out in cursive.

Ghost looked back to the kid. "Ashton."

Ashton tilted his head and stretched a hand towards Ghost. He leaned in and let Ashton play with his light brown hair.

"So did MacTavish say what is going to happen to Ashton?" Toad asked.

"We are going to put him in an orphanage," Ghost said not looking at Toad.

"You don't want to," It wasn't a question but more of a statement.

Ghost shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Well, maybe MacTavish will let him stay."

Ghost sighed. "I don't see why he would."

"MacTavish isn't seeing what I am. Whenever any of us ask you to take off your mask you nearly attack us, but when Ashton is scared of it you automatically take it off. You are also letting him play with your hair," Toad then thought of something. "You are acting like a dad."

Ghost thought about it. "I guess I am."

As if to confirm the statement Ashton began making a weird, high pitched noise. Ghost and Toad looked at Ashton worried that he might be having a reaction to the medication.

"D-d-da-dad-dadd-dadd-daddy," Ashton stuttered.

Ghost froze.

Ashton tried again. "D-dad-daddy."

Toad gasped. "Ghost! He thinks you are his dad!"

Ghost shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

Ashton pointed at Ghost. "Daddy!"

_Okay maybe he does._

**I finally finished this chapter! Yeah! :D I feel so accomplished now. Anyways I hope this chapter turns out okay because it took forever for me to write! Review if you'd like to.**

**Thank you reviewers for reviewing my story so far! Y'all are awesome! **


	4. Chapter 4

_Daddy!_ _Ghost, he thinks you are his dad!_ Ghost let the words swirl in his head causing a thick barrier of confusion to form.

_Ashton thinks I'm his dad? _Ghost shook his head slowly. _No, he's just too young to understand what happened to his real father. He's confused._

Ghost was still sitting beside Ashton watching the young boy clap his hands happily.

"Well I think it would be an understatement to say that he is excited about saying his first word," said Toad.

Ghost looked up at the medic and nodded. He lowered his head and ran a hand through his hair. "What should I do?"

"About what?"

"Ashton," muttered Ghost as he rubbed his temples.

Toad walked around Ashton's cot to stand in front of the man. "What do you want to do Ghost?"

Ghost thought about it. The worried feeling when he saved Ashton, the non-stop pacing after six hours of not knowing if he was dead or alive, his heart dropping when MacTavish said they were going to put him in an orphanage, the excitement when Archer said Ashton _was_ alive, the way he was scared of the balaclava, the way he stuttered when he said 'daddy'.

"I..I think..I want to..adopt him."

"Something told me you were going to say that," Toad said while grinning. "Ya know what? You should go talk to MacTavish, and with a little convincing he might cave in."

_I guess I'll try._

Ghost stood up and put his balaclava in his jean pocket. "I'll try talking to MacTavish. You're going to watch over Ashton right?"

Toad nodded. "You can count on me."

"Alright." Ghost turned around and began walking towards the exit of the tent.

"Daddy!" came Ashton's high pitched voice. "Daddy!"

Ghost turned back around. Ashton was holding his hands over his head and looked like he was about to cry.

"I think he wants to go with you," said Toad.

Ghost walked back over to Ashton. "Am I allowed to take him with me?"

"Sure, just be careful though. You don't want the stitches to tug on the skin, it might cause some discomfort."

Ghost gently picked up the tiny frame. Ashton wrapped his arms around his neck and rested his head on his shoulder.

He walked out of the tent and slowly across the base to MacTavish's office. While supporting Ashton with one arm he used the other to knock on the door.

"Come in," said MacTavish's heavily accented voice.

He turned the door knob and walked in. MacTavish looked up from his desk, surprised to see Ashton.

"See? I told you he would be fine." commented the captain.

"I'm happy you were right," said Ghost while he took a seat on the couch across from the desk.

"So how is the kid doing?"

"His name is Ashton, and he is doing fine."

"Ashton eh?" questioned MacTavish. "How do you know his name?"

"There was a necklace matted down in his hair that had the name Ashton on it."

MacTavish nodded. "I see. So, is there a reason why you came to see me?"

Ghost shifted in his seat. _Here we go._ "Actually there is."

"Alright, what is it?"

"You remember saying that Ashton would be put in an orphanage, right?"

The captain nodded.

Ghost cleared his throat. "Well, um, what would you say if I told you that I wanted to...adopt him?"

MacTavish stared blankly at him, then chuckled. "I'd say you're bloody mad. Having a kid living in a military base? Do you know how dangerous that would be?"

"I'd take care of him sir. I wouldn't let anyone lay a finger on him."

The captain shook his head. "You make it sound like you found a stray pup on the side of the highway. Ghost this is a human we are talking about. Do you even know how to take care of a toddler?"

Ghost rubbed the back of his neck. "No, but I can learn. It can't be that hard."

"Rubbish!" he shouted, making Ashton jump. Ghost tightened his arms around the tiny blonde.

"Ashton thinks I'm his dad. He called me daddy," Ghost said quietly.

MacTavish raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"I said Ashton called me daddy. He thinks I'm his father."

"Prove it." MacTavish said while leaning back in his chair.

Ghost stood up and sat Ashton down on the couch, he then began walking near the door. Ashton instantly began to whimper. "Daddy!" he cried.

"Huh. You weren't kidding," said MacTavish as Ghost picked Ashton back up.

"I wasn't sir, and for some reason I really wish to adopt him. Could you please think about it?"

The captain sighed and ran a hand over his Mohawk. "I'll tell you what. Since you seem to have a soft spot for Ashton I'll think about it. Come back in an hour and I'll have your answer."

Ghost stood up quickly. "Thank you sir!"

_He's going to think about it! I might get to adopt Ashton!_

Ghost walked out of the office and back to the medical tent. Once he walked in he went right over to Ashton's cot and sat him down.

"So how did the talk go?" Toad asked while rearranging some medications in a cabinet.

"MacTavish is thinking about it, he said to come back in an hour." Ghost said while he watched Ashton play with the balaclava that had fallen out of his jean pocket. Ashton rotated the mask in his hands and traced the skull pattern with his little fingers.

"Do you think he'll let you adopt Ashton?"

"I sure hope so."

"What would you do if he said no?"

_What would I do?_

"I don't want to think about putting Ashton in an orphanage, but I don't know what I could do if 'Tavish said no."

Toad looked at Ghost. "A lot of begging."

"A lot of begging," Ghost agreed.

**One hour later**

Darkness began to consume the 141 base as night crept nearer. Ashton had fallen asleep thirty minutes ago and Ghost was now standing a couple feet from MacTavish's office door.

_Come on, just lift your hand and knock on the door. It's not that hard!_

His hand rose from his side.

_There is a fifty percent chance he'll say yes, and a fifty percent chance he'll say no. Standing here isn't going to get me an answer. Just knock._

His knuckles came in contact with the door.

"Come in Ghost," MacTavish said.

Ghost walked in and, once again, took a seat on the couch.

"Have you come up with an answer?" he asked nervously.

The captain nodded. "Indeed I have."

Worry and anticipation began eating away every last sane particle in Ghost's body.

"I have made my decision. I-"

**I'm stopping here for today! I know, such a terrible place to stop. :( Thank you to everyone that has reviewed and added this story to their favorites and has put this story on story alert and added me as one of their favorite authors! You guys are freaking amazing! :D**

**I have a question for y'all: What do you think MacTavish's answer is?**


	5. Chapter 5

"I have made my decision. I guess we will have to round up an extra cot," MacTavish said before grinning, "because Ashton is staying."

An explosion of happiness zapped its way throughout Ghosts' body. He jumped off the couch. "Seriously!"

MacTavish chuckled at the sudden excitement. "Yes I am serious. But before you get too excited you must take an oath that you will take good care of Ashton. I don't want a crazed kid running around the base causing mayhem. Roach already has that job."

Ghost nodded quickly. "You got it sir."

"Good," MacTavish said while he nodded his head once. "I will call the nearest adoption center and see if they can send someone up tomorrow."

"Alright. Thank you sir!"

Ghost left the captain's office, his head full of happy thoughts.

_I'm going to be Ashton's dad! I get to take care of him, see him everyday, watch him grow up._

He walked back to the medical tent to tell Toad the wonderful new and, of course, watch over Ashton.

Toad was sitting on a cot directly across from Ashton's cot, reading a magazine. Ashton was sleeping quietly.

"Hey Ghost, is MacTavish letting you adopt Ashton?" Toad asked pulling his attention away from his magazine and directing it towards Ghost.

A smile tugged at Ghost's lips. "Yeah."

"That's awesome man! I'm happy for you."

"Thanks."

Ghost sat on the cot right next to Ashton. "I never thought I would be a dad," he said after a moment of silence.

Toad rose an eyebrow. "What's the reasoning behind that thought?

"Some people find me...intimidating."

Toad chuckled. "I'm am going to be completely honest. You are intimidating, but from what I've seen today, you are a big 'ole softy."

Ghost sighed. "I am not a softy."

"Dude, you so are."

"No."

"Uh, yeah."

"I am not a softy!"

"Whatever," Toad rolled his eyes. "This is a stupid question, but are you going to stay here tonight and watch over Ashton or should I?"

"I'll stay here. You go on and get some sleep," Ghost answered.

"You sure?"

"Positive. You've earned it mate."

"Alright. See ya in the morning."

Toad picked up the magazine and walked to the other end of the tent.

"Toad," Ghost called out quietly.

The medic turned around to face Ghost.

"Thanks for saving Ashton. I really owe you."

"Not a problem Ghost, I was just doing my job." Toad moved the tent flap. "Can I be the uncle?"

"What's that?" Ghost questioned.

"I said, can I be the uncle. Ya know, Ashton's uncle?"

"Oh," Ghost chuckled. "Yeah, you can be his uncle."

"Awesome! I have a nephew!" he said happily. "Well, night Ghost."

"Night Toad."

Once the medic left the tent, Ghost decided to lay down and try to get some sleep. Before closing his eyes, he glanced over to Ashton.

_A few more hours and I'll be able to officially call you my son._

With that thought soaring through his head, Ghost closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

**The Next Day**

Toad walked into the medical tent and saw Ashton sitting on his cot looking around curiously.

"Hey little buddy," Toad said quietly as he knelt down beside Ashton's cot.

Ashton smiled, showing off his two front teeth. He clapped and laughed his high pitched laugh, his way of greeting people.

Toad patted the blonds head and turned to see Ghost still sleeping. "Time to wake daddy up."

He picked Ashton up and moved him over to Ghosts' cot.

"Daddy!" Ashton exclaimed. He played with Ghost's hair and poked his face.

Ghost slowly opened his eyes. "It seems that I am being attacked by a toddler," he muttered sleepily.

"Time to get up Ghost. MacTavish said the adoption lady will be here in a few minutes," said Toad while laughing slightly.

"Alright."

After taking a minute to fully wake up, Ghost got up off the cot and picked Ashton up.

"See ya later Toad," he said while walking out of the tent.

Ghost walked across the base supporting Ashton with one arm and using the other to run a hand through his hair.

"I bet you are hungry aren't you?" he asked the small blond.

Ashton smiled and laughed again.

"Alright. Once the papers are signed, we'll go to the store and get you some food."

Thirty seconds later, Ghost walked into MacTavish's office and was greeted by the captain and the adoption lady.

"Simon this is Ms. Kelly, Ms. Kelly this is Simon Riley," MacTavish introduced both the adoption lady and Ghost.

"It's nice to meet you," said Ms. Kelly. She has shoulder length red hair, green eyes, and a small frame. "And who might this little hansom boy be?"

"This is Ashton," said Ghost.

Ms. Kelly smiled. " It's nice to meet you as well Ashton. I'm guessing he is the one you wish to adopt?"

Ghost nodded. "That is correct."

Ms. Kelly clapped her hands together. "I've got all the paperwork. I'll just need some signatures and a couple questions answered before the adoption can be official."

After a half an hour of reading, initialing, and signing papers, the final and most important paper came along.

"Okay, for this paper I need you to fill out the date, time, print your name, print Ashton's full name, his birthday and sign your name on the bottom right line."

Ms. Kelly handed Ghost the paper and he began filling out all the information.

_What should his middle name be? Clark? Ashton Clark Riley. Not a bad name._

Ghost scribbled down Ashton's new name.

_What's his birthday? I guess I'll have to give him a new one. How 'bout the twenty fifth of October?_

Again, he scribbled down the information.

Once Ghost was completely finished filling out the paper, he handed it over to Ms. Kelly.

"Alright. Before I sign and give it the stamp of approval, I am required to ask a couple questions."

Ghost nodded.

"Will Ashton be living in a safe environment?"

"As long as he calls me dad and I call him son, no one will hurt him. He is not in any danger."

"Good. Besides you, does he have any other family members?"

Ghost grinned. "He has a handful of brothers and uncles."

"Will you be there when he needs you?"

"Of course."

"Alright Mr. Riley that is all I needed to know." Ms. Kelly signed the paper and placed a stamp in the upper left corner.

She stood up and shook Ghost's hand. "Congratulations Mr. Riley, you have successfully adopted Ashton Clark Riley."

Ghost looked down at the little blond headed boy he was still holding.

_My son._

**Chapter 5 is complete! Woot for adoption! :)**

**I must apologize for stopping in such a bad place in the last chapter, hehe my bad. ^.^'**

**Thank you reviewers that have reviewed so far! I tell you this in like every chapter but I'll say it again 'cause it's so true: You guys are freakin amazing! :D**

**Question: Does anyone notice something special about Ashton's initials?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I was working on an English project for school. Anywho, this chapter isn't going to be too interesting, but please enjoy!**

**A special thank you to everyone that has reviewed! :D**

**~AwesomeBlonde89~ **

After Mrs. Kelly left the office room, Ghost looked down at the small human he was holding in his arms. _My son._ He repeated those two words in his head a million times, trying to understand the new emotions that were shocking every nerve in body. _This boy. This blonde headed, big blue eyed boy that I saved after he miraculously survived after his plane fell out of the sky, is my son. I get to watch him grow up, learn how to speak, discover new things. _A thought slowly crept into his head. _I now have a reason to live, a reason to look forward to the upcoming days, and hopefully many years, of my lifetime. _

MacTavish was sitting at his desk watching Ghost admire his new adopted son. There was a special spark in his eyes and a combination of many emotions sprawled out across his face. The only two emotions the captain could easily identify were both worry and pure joy. Thinking that Ghost might be going through a type of parental shock, the captain cleared his throat. "Aye mate, how does it feel to be a dad?"

With a lot of effort Ghost tore his eyes away from Ashton. A genuine smile appeared on his face as he searched for the correct words to express how he truly felt. "I-I feel...I-I think...whoa," he stuttered and paused for a moment. _What am I feeling? I feel like I could hike up a mountain and laugh until my lungs decided to give out. The only definition I can give to this feeling is happiness. And that is something I haven't experienced in what seems like forever._ Once he decided on a suitable answer, Ghost tried to answer the question again. "I want to say that I feel happy but even that feels bland. I honestly think there isn't a single word in the entire dictionary that can match how I feel right now."

MacTavish grinned. "Well I sure am thankful that Ashton was able to bring out your soft side. It's a nice change from your usual face-behind-a-mask-and-I'm-always-extremely-serious attitude."

"Should I be offended by that?"

"No, I'm just saying it's a nice change," the captain said quickly and then added on, "will I ever get a chance to hold em?"

Ghost looked back down at Ashton. "It's not really up to me sir. Ashton has to decide."

"He is only two and is already making his own decisions," MacTavish muttered.

Ghost rolled his eyes. "Ashton do you want to see MacTavish?"

At the sound of Ghost's voice, Ashton looked up and smiled. Ghost pointed over to MacTavish. "Do you want to see MacTavish?" Ashton turned his head and glanced at the captain and then looked back at his dad. He repeated this a couple more times, contemplating.

Ghost walked over to MacTavish. "Go on, he won't hurt you," Ghost encouraged. Ashton slowly outstretched his arms towards the captain.

MacTavish carefully picked Ashton up. "Ello little mate!" he greeted cheerfully. Ashton stared at him and then poked at his Mohawk. "It seems that he is more interested with my Mohawk than paying attention to me."

Ghost chuckled. "I'm sure he will pay more attention to you once he get's a little bit older and knows you better. Don't take it personally."

MacTavish nodded and placed a hand on the blondes head. "Welcome to the 141 base, Ashton."

Ashton stopped poking the captains Mohawk and began clapping his little hands together, and giggled.

"I think he will like it here," Ghost said while smiling.

"It appears so."

After Ashton stopped clapping, a light rumbling could be heard. "Aye, I think he's hungry," MacTavish looked over at Ghost.

"I would imagine so. I told him I would take him to the store to get some food once the papers were signed. I guess now would be a good time to go."

MacTavish handed Ashton back over to Ghost and then handed him the keys to one of the military trucks. "You might need someone to go with you to help out with Ashton and carrying the grocery bags. I would go but I have to stay here and keep order."

"Alright. See ya later." Ghost walked out of the main office building and began thinking about who he should ask to tag along for the trip. _Toad needs to stay here in case someone gets hurt, Archer is probably reading or practicing sniping, that leaves one person. _

As if a telepathic message had been sent, the person Ghost narrowed the short list down too walked around the corner of the building. "Hey Ghost, what's up?"

"Ello Roach. I'm getting ready to take Ashton to the store, ya mind coming along to help me out?"

Roach nodded. "Sure."

Both men walked across the base to the military trucks. While walking Ghost noticed that Roach glanced at Ashton a few times. "What?"

"What what?" Roach asked confused.

"Why do you keep looking at Ashton?"

"This is the first time I have actually seen him. I mean I heard about you saving him from that burning plane, bringing him back here to be treated, and deciding to adopt him, but this is the first time that I have physically seen him," Roach said defensively.

"Oh," Ghost said while unlocking the truck. "Well, here is your chance to bond with him. I need you to sit in the backseat and hold Ashton."

"Why?"

Ghost looked over at Roach. "Because he is too small to sit in a regular seat, he doesn't have a booster seat, and it is quite difficult and dangerous to drive a military truck with one hand while supporting a squirming toddler with the other one. Plus I am ninety-nine percent sure that it is illegal to have a child under the age of twelve in the passenger seat, therefore illegal to be holding a toddler while driving a truck."

"That makes sense," Roach muttered while climbing into the backseat.

"Alright Ashton, you are going to have to visit Roach for a while okay?" Ghost ran a hand through Ashton's hair before handing him over to Roach. "Be careful Roach, he had a cut on his stomach that had to be stitched up."

Roach nodded in understanding and gently removed Ashton from Ghost's arms. "Hey little fella. How 'bout you call me big brother?"

Ghost got into the truck, put the key in the ignition, and drove towards the east part of the base where the security gates were. Once the gates opened, allowing the truck to exit the base, Ghost turned left onto the highway and the twenty minute ride to the nearest super market began.

"So, you would like Ashton to call you 'big brother'?" Ghost asked trying to start up a conversation.

From the backseat Roach turned his attention towards Ghost. "Um, yeah. I always wanted to be a big brother. I thought it would be really cool to have a younger sibling come to me to seek answers to many questions, or come talk to me if they were going through a rough time with something. But sadly I am an only child and never had the chance, so when I heard that you were adopting Ashton I kinda was hoping that you would let me be his 'big brother'. Of course it's your decision so if you had someone else in mind, I completely understand."

Ghost shook his head. "To be honest I think you would be the perfect big brother for Ashton, so you have my full consent.

"Seriously? Thanks Ghost," Roach said happily.

"Welcome, just don't let this 'big brother' thing get to your head."

Ashton began playing with Roach's fingers and occasionally stared at them like they were the most interesting things in the world. A few times while playing with Roach's fingers, Roach would surprise Ashton by poking his nose. This caused the little blonde to squeak and cover his nose with his hands and then he would start laughing.

Roach grinned at the sound of Ashton's high pitched laugh and then looked over at Ghost. "So, does this mean I get to call you dad?"

Ghost sighed. _I thought I told him not to let this 'big brother' thing get to his head?_

**15 Minutes Later**

The guys were walking through different aisles searching for soft foods Ashton could easily consume without there being a safety hazard.

"Roach, do you know what toddlers eat?" Ghost asked suddenly when he concluded that he didn't have a clue.

Roach tapped his pointer finger against his chin. "I can recall my mother telling me years ago that when I was around Ashton's age I ate gallons of pudding, jello, and these really soft and fruity fruit snacks. So I would guess that he would be able to eat them along with canned fruits and vegetables."

"Alright, let's hunt."

Ghost and Roach split up. Roach went to find the pudding, jello, and fruit snacks, while Ghost and Ashton stood in an aisle that was full with cans of fruits and vegetables. While reading over a few of the can labels, Ghost could help but to feel appalled by some of the vegetables.

"Canned brussel sprouts? Canned celery? Bloody goodness. People actually feed their children these terrible vegetables? Can't this be considered a form of child abuse?" Ghost looked down and Ashton. "Don't worry son, I'm not going to make you eat that."

Ashton smiled and clapped happily.

Ghost grabbed a couple cans of the more appealing vegetables and a few cans of fruit. Roach then walked back over to Ghost carrying five boxes of fruit snacks, six boxes which contained pudding cups, and four boxes of jello.

"This should be enough for now," Roach said as they walked over to the cash register to pay.

The cashier was an older lady probably in her mid fifties. She began ringing up the cans and boxes. "Your total comes to fifty dollars even."

Ghost handed Ashton over to Roach so he could take out his wallet. That's when the lady fully noticed the little boy. "What an adorable little boy!" she exclaimed. "Is he yours?"

Ghost nodded while handing the lady the money. "Yes, he is my son."

The lady put the money into the register. "I knew it! You both have the same color eyes, and fair skin. Your hair colors are different, but I can defiantly see the resemblance."

_We look alike?_


	7. Chapter 7

Once all the grocery bags were loaded into the military truck Ghost climbed into the drivers seat while Roach and Ashton settled in the back. While searching his pockets for the keys, Ghost realized that he forgot to get a booster seat for his son. Sighing and muttering an unintelligible line of words he turned around in the drivers seat and looked back at Roach. "Aye, it seems that I forgot to get a booster seat. I am going to run in and get one real quick, you just stay here with Ashton. Be right back mate."

"Alright," Roach complied as the Lieutenant hopped out of the truck and walked back into the store. Hearing a rather loud growl coming from Ashton's stomach, he reached into one of the grocery bags and took out a packet of fruit snacks. Tearing the packet open he picked out a random fruit snack and placed it in the tiny blondes hand. "Here ya go buddy."

Ashton, smiling and giggling, popped the snack into his mouth and chewed happily. With only a couple teeth he still managed to finish the snack within a few seconds and instantly held his hand out for more. Roach laughed at his "little brother" and handed him another. Ashton practically inhaled the second and held out his hand once again.

"Even though you can't say much, you are still demanding," chuckled "big brother" as he patted his brother on the head. "Can you say 'please'?"

Ashton tilted his head to the side, confusion written all over his face. Roach pronounced the word very slowly separating each syllable.

"Pwe!" Ashton said.

"No, not 'pwe', 'please'. "P-l-e-a-s-e, please," Roach sounded it out again.

"Pwe!"

Roach face-palmed. "No! Please. P-l-e-a-s-e."

Ashton's brows furrowed and his lips formed a straight line. "Pwe!" he shouted while holding out a demanding hand.

Roach laughed and handed him another snack. "Alright, don't get all angry now."

Ashton returned to his happy self as he excepted the peace offering from his brother. He then turned his attention towards the window and looked out. Standing at the corner of the store building was a man wearing a suit and had black, spiky hair. Intrigued by his appearance, Ashton tilted is head to the left and stared at the strange man. As if he knew he was being watched, the man looked up and noticed the small blonde. Planting a fake smile on his face he waved at the small boy.

Ashton began giggling and clapping his hands. Noticing this, Roach looked at him and smiled. "What are you up to?" he asked as he moved over and looked out the window. At first he didn't see anyone but once Ashton began waving he caught eye contact with someone the base had been chasing for quite a while. _Makarov._ Glancing down at the M1014 and M9 that was positioned under the passenger seat, Roach began to wonder if he would have enough time to get Ashton out of the way and then retrieve the weapons if Makarov were to make a move. _Ghost you better hurry you bloody butt up._ Roach locked all the doors and swiftly picked up the M9 and placed it in his boot. He then picked Ashton up and moved him to the opposite side of the truck so he couldn't be seen. He looked back over at the suited man and eye contact was made once again. The fake friendly smile was now replaced with a scornful scowl. Roach glared and was mentally naming Makarov every foul name he could think of. The list was quite lengthy.

Makarov pointed at Roach and then at the store, signaling to Ghost, and drew his thumb across his neck. Roach looked over his shoulder making sure Ashton wasn't looking, which he wasn't because he found more fruit snacks, and then looked back at Makarov and flipped him the bird. Anger flashed across his facial features as he turned around and disappeared around the corner.

Sighing, Roach rested his head on the headrest and closed his eyes. _That could have easily turned into something potentially fatal, and why the heck was he just standing out in the open? Or better yet, how did he know that __**we**__ were here? Maybe he didn't know. Maybe this was just one big coincidence? Not likely. _

His head snapped up when he heard a knock on the window. "Daddy!" Ashton shouted. Ghost was standing outside holding a large box.

"Unlock the bloody door!" he said impatiently. Roach quickly did as told and was handed the box. "Think you can get 'em settled in?"

Roach nodded while opening the box and began putting the pieces together. "Um...Ghost?"

He looked back at the sergeant. "Yeah?"

"While you were inside, Ashton spotted someone."

Ghost gave Roach a confused look. "Who?"

"Makarov, that's why the doors were locked. But don't worry, he didn't try anything."

Ghost tensed and was silent for a moment. "You mean to tell me that the man we've all been looking for was standing out in the open, and you didn't shoot him?"

Roach winced. "Um, yeah. But I didn't shoot him 'cause I didn't want to cause a scene."

The lieutenant forced a laugh. "You didn't want to cause a scene? Roach this is the man we have been hunting down and you just had a clear shoot of 'em! What is MacTavish going to say when he hears this? Or Shepherd? Did you ever think of that?"

Roach knew his superior was right, but he still had something that could change his mind. "No sir, I did not consider this but-"

"Roach we could've just ended this bloody war if you would have just shot him! We're never going to have a clear shot like that again!"

"But sir-"

"You're such a bloody idiot. I can't believe this."

With anger beginning to flow through his veins, Roach raised his voice. "Ghost, the real reason I didn't shoot Makarov is because of Ashton. I was scared he would get hurt and I wouldn't have time to protect him and take Makarov down as well. I wanted him to be safe because he is the more important person in this predicament. If he wasn't here I would have easily went after him. But I chose to stay here to keep **your son** safe. You have no right to be mad at me."

Ghost stared at Roach and then looked at Ashton who was simply watching them argue while eating his fifth packet of fruit snacks. Nodding his head Ghost got into the truck and put the key in the ignition. "You're right. I'm sorry."

After putting Ashton in his new booster seat, Roach excepted his apology and they began their journey back to the base.

**Hey people who probably hate my guts! I am extremely sorry for not updating in over...THREE MONTHS...and for this chapter being fairly short. I am going to try and post another chapter before Valentines Day, so hopefully I do. If I don't I will make sure y'all won't have to wait as long for the next update! Thank you to everyone that has reviewed this story so far!**


	8. Chapter 8

Toad roamed around the medical tent, stopping at each taken cot so he could check on its occupant.

Much to his delight only four soldiers needed medical assistance- all needing the same thing: pain medication.

Three of the men had taken a nasty fall when the roof of an run-down building collapsed underneath their feet. One received a sprained ankle, the other a sprained neck, the last one a dislocated kneecap.

And then there was Taco. Poor guy was trying to help the other three when a bullet grazed his leg. Of course it was nothing too serious. A thorough cleaning, seven stitches and a sterile bandage did the job.

"So when do you think I will be able to get back out there?" he asked.

"You just got here," Toad stated, "are you already that tired of me?"

Taco shook his head in response. "I didn't go through all that training to be sitting on the sidelines."

The words came off in a frustrated tone but Toad could feel the anticipation almost vibrating off the guy.

"You will be out soon enough, along with the rest of you," he said while passing out pain pills.

When the men first arrived to the tent, Toad had offered to insert medication through an I.V., but when they saw the needles then practically crawled into the pillowcases on their cots. He found it quite humorous that they all had the same phobia of needles.

"That doesn't really answer my question. Do you know how many hours or days I will be stuck in here?" an irritated Taco asked.

Toad shrugged. "Seven, maybe eight."

Taco immediately brightened up. "Only seven to eight hours? That's not too bad."

Toad shrugged again. "Maybe ten."

He frowned slightly. "Wait. Now it's ten hours? We are talking about hours... right?"

Toad walked over to the tent opening and picked up the clipboard that hung on the wall.

"Maybe twelve," he muttered.

'Huh, no medical examinations marked down today,' he thought, 'probably should have Ashton in for a check-up.'

Taco threw his arms up in the air. "Why won't you answer my dang question completely? What is so complex about it?" The other guys laughed at his aggravation and the medic just murmured some more.

"Maybe fourteen."

"Oh my gosh! If you don't answer my bloody question I swear I will get up and-"

Toad put the clipboard own and turned his attention back to him.

"Dude, calm down. I'm just yankin' your chain. You'll be in here for about three maybe four."

"Three to four what?" he asked angrily.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, Roach walked in with a bloody-eyed Jayhawk.

"My goodness, what happened?" Toad exclaimed.

Jayhawk's left eye was swollen shut, covered in blood, and thin shards of glass were sticking out of the eyelid. Not the worst injury Toad had seen but it looked painful nonetheless.

"Well," Roach sent a glare towards Jayhawk, "Private Dumb Twat here decided shooting glass bottles would be good practice. Especially while not wearing the proper protective eye gear."

Jayhawk rubbed the back of his neck while staring at the floor.

"Alright. Head down to cot five and I'll take a look."

He nodded and walked over to his cot of shame.

Roach followed Toad as he grabbed a pair of vinyl gloves, gauze, rubbing alcohol, tape, tweezers, two pain pills that were placed in a paper cup, and then placed all the objects on a metal tray.

He walked over to cot five and pulled out a chair. Placing the tray on the bedside table, he slipped on the gloves and turned to Jayhawk.

"Alright, let me see."

Jayhawk sat up and let him examine the damage without complaint. He winced a few times when Toad's fingers came across a tender spot, but he remained quiet. Probably embarrassed about the whole thing.

Luckily for the private, there were only two shards of glass that deeply penetrated the skin. The other smaller pieces were easily removed with the tweezers.

"I'm going to have to stitch up the two main invasions, the others will heal as they are without a problem," he went to retrieve his handy thread and needle.

"... Hate stitches," Jayhawk muttered.

Roach patted his back rather forcefully. "Well maybe you shouldn't do stupid things anymore. Right Private Dumb Twat?"

The private once again stared at the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Yes."

Roach rose an eyebrow. "Yes, what?"

"Yes, _sergeant_."

Roach placed a couple pats on his shoulder once more before Toad returned.

"You shouldn't tilt your head like that Jayhawk, it'll bleed more," Toad then wiped away the droplets of blood that were forming.

"Sorry," he mumbled while looking back up.

Toad dismissed the apology and looked in Roach's direction when he announced that he was leaving.

"Hey Gary!" Roach tuned at the sound of his name.

"Yeah?"

Toad skillfully wove the needle through the wound, tied a knot, and cut away the excess string.

"Would you mind bringing Ashton in for a check-up? I believe it may be time to remove the stitches."

"Oh, sure. I'll go get him now," he said before exiting the tent.

Toad finished stitching up Jayhawk's wound and after cleaning it one last time and slapping on a bandage he gave him the cup with the pills.

"And there ya go. Good as new!"

**X**

Roach walked over to the basketball court where he left Ashton under Archer's watchful eye.

Kicking a lone pebble along he way, Roach couldn't help but to feel excited for his little brother. The injury he received from the plane crash had kept him from being able to play around and have fun. If he moved a certain way he sometimes would feel an uncomfortable tug on his skin from the stitches which would, in return, cause a slight pain to be felt. Of course Ashton would halt the play time and spent most of the last week watching his family train on the course, but that could possibly change today, granted it was time to remove those dreadful pieces of thread.

As Roach stepped onto the court his thoughts were left behind when a little voice squealed his name.

"Ro!"

He looked up and grinned at his little brother. "Hey Ash!"

Ashton waved his little hands and showed off his toothy smile.

Before Roach had arrived, Ashton and Archer were sitting a few feet away from each other rolling a basketball back and forth. Now Archer was sitting alone watching little Speed Racer zoom across the court to his brother.

Ashton pushed his arms and legs to the limit as he crawled as fast as he could; adrenaline and anticipation fueling him as he went.

Roach chuckled when he heard tired grunts coming from the little guy. But Ashton kept pushing himself and it all, eventually, paid off.

Once he reached Roach's feet, he sat down and held his hands up over his head.

Roach scooped him up.

"Ro!" Ashton sighed as he wrapped his arms around his brothers neck.

"Had enough exercise today, bud?"

Archer laughed from the other end of the court.

"Hey Ashton," Roach whispered.

Ashton pulled back and looked at him.

"You want to go see Toad? He said it might be time to take your stitches out."

Ash remained quiet as he processed the words in his mind. After a moment he looked down and poked the stitched area under his shirt.

"Bye?" he asked.

"Yup. Toad might be able to take 'em out."

Ashton looked back up and smiled once more.

"Okay, we'll go," Roach said before telling Archer his babysitting duty was over and walked to the court entrance.

"Alright Ashton, do you want me to carry you or do you want to crawl?"

Ashton's eyes grew to the size of saucers as he quickly rested his head on Roach's shoulder.

"Okay. Looks like I'm carrying you."

**X**

"So how have you been this last week Ghost?" Captain MacTavish asked as he reclined himself back in his office chair.

The masked man sat across from the desk, starring out of the window which was behind Soap. "Fine, sir."

The captain nodded his head. "Good, good. And Ashton? How is he?"

The sound of his sons name sent a strong tingling sensation to travel up and down Ghost's spine. "He is the happiest person I've ever had in my life, sir."

"That's great," Ghost could hear something in Soap's voice that sounded... off. A bad feeling overtook Ghost's being as he became more attentive in the conversation.

A thick silence filled the air as the captain pondered over which words to use. He absentmindedly fingered the papers that were faxed to him a few hours ago. He knew this message was going to be pretty difficult for Ghost since Ashton was now in his life, but Ghost knew this day was going to come sooner-or-later.

"What is it sir?"

MacTavish sat up and folded his hands, resting them on the desktop. "Simon, when you adopted Ashton we all knew that you wouldn't be able to be by his side 24/7 because we still have a war to fight."

Ghost's heart dropped to his knees when he had a feeling he knew where this conversation was heading.

"What have we been assigned to sir?"

**X**

"Hey Toad, we're here!" Roach called while walking back into the medical tent.

Toad was standing beside Jayhawks cot offering him more pain medication.

Ashton lifted his head from Roach's shoulder and saw the large bandage covering Jayhawk's left eye.

"Okay, go ahead and take the next cot and I'll be with you in a second."

Roach and Ashton took a seat. Ash continued to stare and tilted his head in wonder. He gently tugged on his brothers shirt.

Roach looked down. "What's up buddy?"

Ash pointed at Jayhawk.

"He wasn't paying attention and hurt himself," he answered.

The small blonde scrunched his eyebrows together and looked like he was trying to solve a difficult mathematical equation. He tugged on big brothers shirt once more but this time he held up his arms.

"See?" he asked quietly.

Roach looked at the private.

"You feel like having company?"

He shrugged. "Suppose not."

Ashton was shifted over to his cot.

"Hey Ashton!" Jay said happily. Ashton smiled and then slowly frowned.

"What's wrong?"

Ashton leaned closer to him and gently placed his small hand over the large bandage.

"Ow?" he questioned.

Jayhawk winced but smiled. "It's nothing I can't handle."

Ashton removed his hand and gave him a hug.

"Sowwy," he said sadly.

A small smile appeared on his face as he patted his back. "It's not your fault bud."

The medic took out a new pair of vinyl gloves and Ashton was taken back to his cot. Toad lifted up Ash's shirt and examined the light pink skin. He poked it in certain places and ran his fingers along the scar.

"Well I'd say that wound has healed perfectly."

"So the stitches are coming off?" Roach asked hopefully.

"Yes sir!," came Toad's reply as he went to retrieve scissors and a pair of tweezers.

"Alright Ashton. I'm going to remove the stitches okay?" the medic said while returning to his seat.

Ashton nervously looked at his brother. Roach smiled encouragingly and took his small hand in his. "You'll be just fine Ash."

Toad went to work carefully cutting the ends of each stitch. Then taking the tweezers he began to remove the thread from the skin.

Ashton tried to stay as still as possible but there was a strange tickling feeling felt as the thread left the skin, which caused the procedure to be quite uncomfortable.

"Ash you need to stay still. Squirming around will make this more difficult for Toad," Roach said.

When the fourth stitch was removed Ash began to whimper.

"It's okay bud," Roach gave his hand a little squeeze. "Only six more."

Once the fifth stitch was removed Ashton's lower lip began to quiver and his eyes filled up with tears

"D-d-daddy," he whimpered.

"Come on Ashton, just five more," said Toad.

Ashton began to shake and that's when the tears were unleashed.

"D-d-d-daddy!" he cried. "Daddy!"

Roach's heart twisted in his chest. "Toad can we take a quick break? I'm going to go get Riley."

He walked out of the tent before he was given an answer and briskly walked towards MacTavish's office.

**X**

"Intel has given us reason to believe that Makarov is after a man who is being held in the gulag," MacTavish skimmed through the second sheet of paper, "prisoner 627 to be exact."

Ghost sat as still as a statue. "So, we are going to, basically, help a prisoner escape from prison," he stated.

"Basically," the captain agreed, "but that's the second part of the mission. We still have to conquer the first."

"This is a two-step mission?"

"Yes, Lieutenant," he scratched the stubble on his chin, "Russians have invaded an oil rig some miles away from the gulag. We have to go in and rescue the workers who are being held captive. From there we will be flown to the gulag."

Ghost stiffly nodded his head.

MacTavish shuffled the papers together and then placed them in a manilla envelope.

"I suggest you go get ready. We will be leaving in a few hours so we can come up with a plan of attack. This will be a join operation with the U.S. Navy Seals; we don't want to keep them waiting."

The Lieutenant stood up and exited the office, almost running into Roach.

"Ghost! Ashton-"

"What about Ashton? What happened?" he asked quickly. "Where is he?"

Roach took a few breaths. "Medical tent."

And Ghost was gone.

**X**

"It'll be alright Ashton," Toad said while giving him a reassuring smile. "Big brother went to get dad, okay?"

Ashton began to relax and turned his head to look at the tent opening.

For a few minutes there was nothing but silence in the air, but then loud, heavy footsteps could be heard in the distance.

"Daddy?" Ash questioned, looking at Toad.

He shrugged. "Maybe."

The tent flap flew open. "Ashton!" the voice called frantically.

"Daddy!" Ash cried.

In a heartbeat, Ghost was by his side taking his hand in his. He saw the scissors and pieces of thread and immediately calmed down.

"Getting your stitches removed?"

Toad nodded. "He doesn't seem to like it very much."

Ghost gave his hand a little squeeze and then ran his other hand through Ash's blonde hair.

"You'll be alright son," he cooed. "Daddy is here."

**Well howdy y'all! Long time no see eh? More like long time no update :(**

**My apologies!**

**Okay, so the next few chapters should come relatively soon 'cause I have 'em all planned out. So be on the lookout! **

**A special shout-out to everyone who is following this story. I thank you guys so much for your awesome reviews and support! **

**Also, I recently became a member of livejournal! I will probably be posting updates for this story or any of my others, so if you would like to know what the heck I'm doing with my life, feel free to check it out! Or if you have an account and would like to become friends, send me a request and I'll happily accept!**

**The link is on my profile page, 'kay?**


	9. Goodbyes

How does a parent leave their kid and manage not to lose their sanity? Do they take photos with them as a reminder? Do they call one another? What do they do? He didn't know at the moment and he is having such a difficult time comprehending what is about to happen.

Ghost sighed with frustration while putting his head in his hands. He had to leave Ashton. He had to leave his son only to possibly get himself killed. The thought of death was haunting him: He may not come back from this mission healthy and alive.

He might not be there for Ashton.

A slight headache began to make its appearance as Ghost gathered up a pen and a piece of paper.

_Ashton,_

_If you are reading this then something has probably happened to me._

_If, by some chance, you can actually remember who I am, than I must say that you have a bloody amazing memory (considering you were only two years of age when I wrote this). If not, then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Simon Riley and I am a Lieutenant for the British Task Force 141. _

_I am also your adoptive father._

_When you were a toddler, you were involved in an airplane crash and was the only survivor. I watched as the plane went down and was the first person on the scene. The plane had crashed in an empty meadow. Besides all the debris that was scattered throughout the meadow, there was only one part of the plane that was still together. You, my son, were inside that part. _

_Before I heard your cries I figured no one could have survived such a crash and I was about to leave. But, bless your soul, you managed to get my attention. I entered the burning part and found you laying defenseless on the ground trying to save yourself from the smoke. I scooped you up, scanned the area for any other survivors but there was no one. Just emptiness and silence (besides the roar of the flames of course)._

_I had taken you back to the military base where Toad, a medic at the time, removed shards of debris from a wound on your stomach. While he was operating on you I was worried beyond belief. I don't know why but I felt connected to you. _

_Not long after this incident I adopted you and you were officially deemed my son. You are the best son anyone could have asked for and I'm sorry for leaving you behind. _

_If you wish to know more about me ask any veteran soldiers (I'm sure there is a list of them somewhere) and know that I'll be watching over you._

_I love you son. Goodbye,_

_Lieutenant Simon Riley. a.k.a. "Daddy." _

He set the paper down and walked out of his tent. He needed to say goodbye in person, even if it was just for a temporary time.

He wandered over to the medical tent where Ashton was keeping all the wounded soldiers company. The opening of the tent flaps caught Ashton's attention. "Daddy!"

Ghost scooped his son up and held him close. "Would you guys mind if I took Ash away from you for a while?"

The soldiers all shook their heads in harmony, knowing he was upset about something.

"We are going for a little walk, okay bud?" Ashton smiled and clapped his hands.

They left the tent and Ghost began walking in a random direction. After a few minutes of silence and thinking about what to say, he decided to wing-it and let the words come and go naturally.

"Ashton?"

He looked up with bright blue eyes and tilted his head to the side. Something he seemed to do whenever he was thinking. "Daddy?"

"Bud, I have to go on a mission. I have to fight the bad guys, okay? So I'm not going to be home for a few days," Ghost stopped short and choked out the next words, "if I can come home. I'm going to try my best okay? I promise not to give up and to keep going because I know you need me here."

Ashton's happy face now resembled a sad one as if he understood everything just said.

"But if I don't come home and you can't see me anymore I want you to know that you still have a big family who will take care of you. And just because you can't see me physically doesn't mean I won't be here spiritually. I'll be watching over you all the time okay?"

Ashton's eyes filled up with tears.

"Don't be sad Ash. Just remember: if I'm not here or you can't see me, I can always be found right here," Ghost lightly poked the spot over Ashton's heart.

Ashton wrapped his arms around his father's neck. "Daddy!"

"I love you son."

Ghost embraced his son and showed no signs of wanting to let go anytime soon.

"Goodbye."

**You and I will meet again, When we're least expecting it, One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face, I won't say goodbye my friend, For you and I will meet again. -Tom Petty**

**X**

_**Yes I know it is an extremely short chapter. I apologize. :(**_

_**But, in my defense, I actually wasn't planning on updating today (even though I know I need to update soon). I updated today because it is a very special day. What's the big occasion? Well...**_

_***Throws confetti in the air while dancing happily* **_

_**Today is Just Call Me Daddy's first birthday! Woo~!**_

_**Steals Ashton.**_

"_**Why do you have to be so dang adorable?"**_

_**Ashton grins and claps.**_

_**Gives Ashton a hug.**_

"_**Daddy?" **_

_**I tilt my head to the side. "What? Oh no."**_

_**The door to my room was kicked down immediately after the words left my mouth and in walked an angry looking Ghost. "Give me my son."**_

_**Shakes head furiously. "No!"**_

_**His right eye twitched. "Return Ashton to me right now."**_

_**Looks down sadly. "Do I have to?"**_

"_**Yes! He's my son!"**_

_**Turns head and sniffles. "Well, I'm the one who gave you your son."**_

… _**Wait**_

… _**That sounded weird.**_

… _**TeeHee... Just Call Me Mama! XD**_

**Yeah... I know I'm weird...**

**So yeah.**

**This chapter is basically a filler for the upcoming ones. I wanted to write to celebrate today but I didn't have a whole bunch of time to do so. I also didn't want to just post an authors note.**

**So yeah.**

**A big thank you shout out to everyone who has read, reviewed, added this story to your favorites list, and put this story on your story alert. I am extremely grateful for all of your support and be sure to come back and read upcoming chapters!**

**Now here is a poem before I leave:**

**Roses are red**

**Violets are blue**

**Y'all are the most amazing readers**

**And I love you... In the most non-creepy way imaginable.**

**Bye! :D**


	10. I'm Sorry

Gosh I'm so upset. I told myself that I would never post an author's note because it's not an actual update, and I don't want to upset anyone.

I just thought I should get a few things off of my chest.

Firstly, I would like to sincerely apologize for not updating JCMD for so long! I wanted to let you all know that I _have not_ lost interest in the story, I have just... been going through a very tough time lately. I definitely don't want to bother all of you with my problems, but if you would like a further explanation, there will be a post in my profile.

Secondly, I am aware that JCMD isn't the 'best' story out there, and my writing could use some work. I must apologize for that as well. With that said, I have been seriously considering re-writing this story in an attempt to make it more interesting, and something that you guys would actually want to read! If you have any suggestions on how I can improve this story, I would love to hear them!

Thirdly, I absolutely must send out a massive THANK YOU to all of you lovely readers! I don't think you guys fully understand how thankful, and appreciative I am that you all take the time to read my stories! I can't thank you enough! :)

I suppose that's all I needed to say...

Thank you for reading! And please forgive me for not updating for so long!

Have a lovely morning/afternoon/night! :)

~AB89


	11. The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

_**Sorry for the long wait.**_

"Got a visual by the railing," Ghost spoke softly while the rest of the 141 and SEALs stood back as to not draw attention to themselves.

The lone enemy leaned up against the yellow railing, looking at nothing in particular, while bringing a lit cigarette to his lips.

"Free to engage," MacTavish's voice whispered into their headsets, "suppressed weapons only."

Sergeant Sanderson slowly crept from behind his cover and aimed down his sights. A single round left his M4A1 and implanted itself into the enemy's neck; sending his body over the yellow railing and into the depths below.

"We're clear," Ghost spoke while Team One moved in position around a room with two doors.

"_Civilian hostages at your position, watch your fire_," the Sub Commander warned.

Captain MacTavish sighed slightly. "Roger that. Team One moving to breach."

Soap and Roach took the door to the left, leaving Ghost and Peasant to tend to the door at the far right.

Roach took a deep breath, hoping to calm his now racing heart, and the Captain gave him a tight nod. The young soldier slammed a breaching charge onto the door and immediately covered his ears. Within seconds, the door was converted into tiny scraps of debris, filling the air around the two men. Roach shoved himself from against the wall and took aim inside the room.

Time seemed to slow down dramatically as the Sergeant sent off four more rounds into their designated targets.

"Clear," Ghost said.

"We're clear," MacTavish stated, "hostages secured in Section Two-Echo."

"_Roger that Hotel Six, Team Two will secure and evac, continue your search topside,"_ replied the Sub Commander.

"Okay, we're moving upstairs," the men nodded and followed closely behind MacTavish.

"Eyes open, watch your sectors," he warned.

Roach fell in step beside Ghost and sent him a weary glance.

"What are you looking at, bug?" the masked man questioned.

Roach shrugged slightly as they continued up another flight of stairs.

"Just wondering how you're doing, I guess."

The lieutenant scoffed. "Is now the time to hold an ounce of small talk? If it's going to bother you to no-end, I'm doing fine. Now clear your head."

Roach was taken aback by how bitter Ghost had sounded. He knew that the lieutenant must of had a million things racing through his mind, and the thought of how he was going to handle it worried Roach.

"Are you sure you're alr-"

"Sanderson! Riley!" MacTavish snapped, "cut the chatter!"

"Sorry, sir," apologized Roach.

Behind them, Peasant let out a snort.

"Bunch of drama kings," he muttered.

"_Enemy helo patrolling the perimeter. Keep a low profile, Hotel Six."_

"Roger that," replied MacTavish before he turned to his men, "Now be quiet- all of you!"

The team took a couple of steps outside and they were instantly met with the sound of propeller blades chopping at the air.

"Enemy helo, get out of sight," whispered MacTavish.

The small group hid themselves behind a row of barrels and listened as the chopping grew louder and louder, until quickly fading into the distance.

"Okay, move."

Team One moved forward and crouched outside yet another room.

"_Hotel Six, more hostages are at your position."_

"Copy that."

Still in their crouching positions, the men advanced toward the room; MacTavish and Roach took the first door.

The Sergeant placed a breaching charge on the door and as soon as the it was no longer a problem, Roach stood and began firing at the enemies.

Within moments, all firing ceased.

"Clear," Ghost called.

"Clear. Control- all Deck Two hostages secured." said MacTavish.

After Control had been contacted, a monotonous Russian voice reverberated throughout the small room.

"Does anyone speak Russian?" Roach asked.

"No," Ghost shook his head, "but by the sound of it I think we're going to have company."

The sudden thought of action brewing up sent an exciting dose of adrenaline coursing through Simon's veins. He loved acting on pure instinct and making last-minute decisions. _Or used to_, he thought.

For a majority of this mission, Ghost had tried with all of his might to put the thought of Ashton in the back of his mind. He knew that thinking about anything other than the objective at hand could be dangerous to both him, and the rest of his team. But with the possibility of elevated activity, all the adrenaline that Simon had previously felt disappeared and was replaced with worry.

A loud snapping in front of his face brought the Lieutenant back to reality.

"Did you hear me?" MacTavish questioned.

Ghost blinked a few times. "Hear what?"

MacTavish sighed, clearly annoyed, "I said: set up for Plan B. Plant some C4 on those bodies."

"Oh," Ghost mumbled, "yes, sir."

"Don't zone out on me now, Lieutenant," the Captain said before exiting the room.

After the C4 was successfully planted, Ghost ran out of the room and took cover behind more barrels; while MacTavish and Roach hid behind sheets of wood on an elevated platform.

The four men watched as the patrol made their presence known and began advancing toward their position.

"There's the patrol," MacTavish said, "Hold your fire until they're closer. Stand by... stand by..."

The Russian guards entered the room and were flabbergasted by what they saw. Yells and shouts of outrage filled the air. The guards that were outside of the room began looking in all directions, searching for the people responsible.

"Plan B. Do it."

Multiple explosions lit up the room and alerted every Russian guard on the oil-rig.

The men jumped from their cover and opened fire at the enemy.

"Control, this is Hotel Six! Our cover is blown!" MacTavish yelled.

"_Copy that. Intel still indicates hostages and possible explosives on the top deck. Your team needs to secure that location before we can send in reinforcements to handle the SAM sites, over."_

Captain MacTavish took cover behind a large crate and responded, "Roger that. Will call for exfil in LZ Bravo."

Soap moved from his cover and joined the other men.

"CentCom needs us to take the top deck ASAP so they can send in the Marines. Move!"

Ghost, Roach, and Peasant all followed MacTavish as they engaged the enemy. Everywhere they turned waves and waves of hostile forces seemed to replenished themselves.

"Where are all of these guys coming from?!" Roach shouted over the whizzing of bullets.

"I don't know, but keep at it!" MacTavish yelled back.

"_Hotel Six, hostile forces on the lower decks are being extracted by Team Two. Proceed to the top deck ASAP to secure the rest, over."_

"Copy that! We're working on it, over."

The group sprinted up a couple flights of stairs and were met with more enemy reinforcements.

"I didn't think this would be a complex mission!" Roach said.

"Nothing we can do about it now!" Peasant yelled, "So there's no point in complaining!"

A familiar roar was heard in the distance.

"Enemy helo! Get down! Get down!" Ghost shouted as he yanked the back of Roach's jacket so he fell to the ground.

The high-pitched squeal from the helicopters weapon made Simon's eardrums want to explode.

"We need to get rid of that helo!" he shouted.

Roach peaked over the crate they were hidden behind and spotted an AT4 laying out in the open. Getting to it would be a nightmare, but he knew they were sitting ducks if they didn't do something fast.

Roach tapped Ghost on the back and put his finger against the crate, pointing in the direction of the weapon.

"There's an AT4 ahead of us! Cover me!"

With that, the Sergeant crawled from the cover and sprinted in the direction of the weapon. Bullets flew all around him, pelting crates and wood and leaving fresh holes in the walls. He picked up the AT4 and slid behind a wall of pipes. Roach quickly checked over the weapon to insure that it was fit for use. He then took a deep breath and stood. He instantly locked onto his target and pulled the trigger, sending the enemy bird into the ocean.

"Nice shot, Roach! You're crazy, but nice shot!" Ghost complimented.

"Yeah! Nice shot Roa-" Peasant's voice was cut off when a single bullet found its way to his chest. His body fell forward, landing in a motionless heap.

"Peasant?" Roach yelled, "PEASANT!"

By this time, Ghost and MacTavish had made their way over to the Sergeant. Soap placed his hand on the young soldier's shoulder and gave it a slight push.

"There's nothing we can do for him. We need to get going."

"Nothing we can do!" Roach shrieked, "we're just going to leave him here?!"

"He's dead, Sergeant! There's nothing we can do! Now, we're running out of time- get yourself together!"

Roach said nothing but continued to clear the level.

Finally, they climbed the last of the steps to the top of the rig. The men stood back for a moment and focused on taking out the hostiles that were lurking in the windows in the room ahead. Few hostiles ran from behind their cover and began throwing smoke grenades around the deck.

"Enemy's popping smoke," Ghost said while staring at the developing blanket of smoke.

Roach and MacTavish stayed together and took position on the left side of the deck, while Ghost wandered to the right.

"These guys have thermal optics," MacTavish stated, "stay clear of the smoke."

All at once, enemy fire started up on the opposite end of the deck.

The men switched to their SCAR-H Thermal Sight and searched through the smoke to find the enemy.

Ghost tiptoed along the freight, keeping his back pressed up against its cold steel foundation, making sure that there would be no sneak attacks from behind.

_We're almost done,_ Ghost said to himself, _one step closer to going home. _

He wove in between the lines of freight, searching for any unsuspecting hostages. He found it rather odd how he had not run into anyone yet... they seemed to be staying to the far left of the deck.

_Just keep your eyes peeled and keep moving,_ he coached to himself,_ get back to the base safely so you can see Ashton again. Don't do anything stupid. Just continue moving. When you get back to the base, you can even rip up that letter you wrote and laugh at how childish you were thinking. Then you could tell Ashton that there was no need to worry. See? No need to worry. Everything will be alright._

While Ghost was trying to find comfort in the situation, he failed to register the slight war cry that was unleashed five crates in front of him.

_Everything will be ok-_

A strong force collided with his left shoulder, ripping through the skin. He stumbled to the right and fell to the ground, ramming his head against the floor; his beloved sunglasses skidding across the deck. His shoulder burned like a thousand fires, while black and white specks dotted his vision.

"Ghost?" a voice called out, "Ghost!"

_What's happening? _

The masked man attempted to move but found it nearly impossible.

Everything in sight began to swirl together and, eventually, everything just went black.

_Where's Ashton?_

_X_

I just wanted to take a moment to personally thank a few people who commented on my authors note:

_**AnoReviews**_: Thank you _so_ much for taking the time to read my story, and for leaving such a lovely comment! I truly appreciate it! :)

_**xmavericks-lil-fighter-pilotx**_- Thank you for commenting! I know this story needs to be updated more often, but it's really difficult for me to write at the moment. I am trying my best, though, and I guess I'll just have to keep at it! :)

_**GHOST IS ALIVE**_- Thank you for the compliment and for commenting! I greatly appreciate it! Also, thank you for the story ideas!

_**AnimotoSaedaX'D**_- Thank you for commenting! I will try to the best of my ability to update more often! And thank you for checking out what's been bothering me and for talking to me in general! That was a wonderful act of kindness! :)

_**Guest**_- I absolutely 100% care about guests! I don't care if you have an account or not, the fact that you still took the time to read and comment on my story is heartwarming! Thank you so much!

_**Sei-the-Saiyan**_- Thank you for your very kind message! It makes me so happy to know that you enjoy my story!

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and please do remember that all reviews are greatly appreciated!

Bye! :)


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